I took Nicholas to see his neurosurgeon today because he has swelling around his shunt. The doctor said that swelling is usually a sign that something it wrong with the shunt. He said that there is a greater than 50% chance the shunt will brake and need to be repaired or replaced. He said to cross our fingers that it holds on and that the horse isn't out of the barn yet. Right now we have to keep an eye on it and if it swells up like a balloon, it is time to do something. We always knew that shunts fail and need to be replaced more often than anyone would want but it just really sucks. Nicholas has been through so much and he can't seem to catch a break.
Other than that, we took him for his first walk last night. He was half asleep so we couldn't tell if he enjoyed it or not. Mark also tried out the baby carrier thing but that was a little hard to use with his oxygen and monitor.
As a mom of a little one with a shunt (13 months old), I believe they are correct when they say the first year is the hardest. My son had 10+ surgeries related to his shunt in the first 6 months, including a craniotomy. But the last revision, which required a 20 day stay, was the charm. His shunt has been working well for the last seven months.
ReplyDeleteYou have my cyber support.